It is always nice to have a simple, quick party recipe in you back pocket during the holidays.  Something you can whip up quickly and without too much pre-planning and take to the party of gathering you forgot about – you know, you volunteered a month ago to bring a snack, but completely let it slip your mind.   And this is it.

Good ingredients make a good recipe, and by using a good bottled chutney and curry powder, you get a sprightly punch of flavor with little effort.  I have always loved this spread and I promise it is a hit at parties.  I always get recipe requests when I take this somewhere.  The unusual and slightly exotic taste makes it seem much more complicated and labor intensive than it is.  And it is easy to make it look elegant by molding it into a nice round dome.  Put it on a pretty holiday platter with some crackers and you are ready to go.  It needs a couple of hours in the frideg to firm up, but can be made days ahead.  And any leftovers are pretty great as a sandwich.

Cheddar Chutney Spread

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

4 ounces cream cheese

1 (8-ounce) jar good mango chutney (Major Grey style)

4 green onions, chopped

1 Tablespoon mild curry powder

1 chopped green onion for garnish

1 handful of roasted peanuts for garnish

Use the grating blade on the food processor to grate the cheddar cheese.  Switch to the metal blade, then add the cream cheese, chutney, green onions and curry powder.  Blend until smooth.

Now you can go simply scrape the spread into a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate for several hours until firm and serve sprinkled with green onions and peanuts. Or do what I do to make it a little fancier.  Line a nice round bowl with plastic wrap, smoothing it out as much as possible, then press the spread into the bowl, compacting it as much as possible.  Pull the ends of the plastic wrap to cover the top and refrigerate for several house or overnight until firm.  Unwrap the top of the spread and invert it onto a plate.  Remove the plastic wrap and smooth the top with a knife.  Sprinkle over chopped green onions and peanuts.

Serve with buttery crackers.  Can be made several days ahead.